A Simple Quest
by Luthorin
Summary: Erestor couldn't believe how a simple quest turned out to be a disaster, and the consequence followed. Glorfindel, Erestor. Friendship. One shot.


A Simple Quest

Summary: Erestor couldn't believe how a simple quest turned out to be a disaster, and the consequence followed. Glorfindel, Erestor. Friendship. One shot.

.

.

.

Erestor could not believe that a simple exploration trip would turn out to be a disaster.

It began with a request from Lord Elrond for him to go find some ingredients for his medical experiment. There was a plaque in several villages near Rivendell and the villagers seek Elrond for help. Even though Imladris had the largest medical supplies in middle-earth, Elrond and his healers still could not find the cure for the patients. Since He and his healer were busy tending to the growing number of patients, it fell on the chief counselor who knew well about herb and medical supplies to search for some ingredients for them.

The lord asked Glorfindel and a couple soldiers to go with Erestor in the quest.

"I can go by myself, Elrond, really." Erestor protested when he heard that Glorfindel would go with him.

"Don't be silly, Erestor. We don't know how far you would go to find the supplies. Anything could happen out there." Elrond was concerned about his counselor's safety.

"I can take care of myself, besides, traveling alone will be faster."

"I have a bad feeling right now. Please bear with me, Erestor. Go with Glorfindel." Elrond asked.

"How about, I'll go with Saelbeth or any of his lieutenants?" Erestor tried hard not to go with Glorfindel. Even though they did not hate each other, he knew they were not in a good term lately.

"Saelbeth is too young, and so are the others." Elrond knitted his eyebrows. Erestor was too stubborn for his own good, he thought. "Go with Glorfindel and a couple soldiers. This is final." He ordered. He knew if he did not play the boss, they could argue all day long. He didn't have time for that.

That led to the situation Erestor was in right now.

"Pray tell, Glorfindel, why do we have to camp here, in the middle of the forest, while the nearest village is just a few leagues away?"

Erestor asked, annoyed, after Glorfindel decided to stay the night in the forest.

"Why, Erestor? Don't you want to be close with the nature around us?" Glorfindel smiled teasingly.

"No." Erestor narrowed his eyes.

"You should." Glorfindel grinned. "You are too pale, Erestor. You need more activities outside your office or the library. This is a good opportunity to help you touch the sense of nature."

"Do I look like I need help?" The counselor raised in eyebrow.

"I offer myself!" Glorfindel grinned even wider. "Come sit here." He patted the log next to where he was sitting. "We'll have a good time together."

"We are in this quest to find something to help dying people, not to picnic!" Erestor shook his head. "We don't suppose to have 'good time together.'"

"We can have both! Right? Saelbeth?" The golden lord turned to his lieutenant for support.

"I'll not be a part of your banter, my lords." Saelbeth shook his head. "I'll get some more water. Come Cirith."

"Those two are wise." Erestor smirked.

"We finally have alone time together!" Glorfindel exclaimed.

"What?" Erestor eyed the captain suspiciously.

"Don't you want to spend alone time with me, your best friend?" Glorfindel batted his eyelashes to the counselor.

"No." Erestor sighed tiredly. He sat down on a log opposite the captain eventually. "And you are not my best friend."

"Come on, Erestor. If you accept me as your best friend, I'll share you my bedroll tonight."

"How about you give me your bedroll and I'll consider it?"

"Then where could I sleep?" Glorfindel pouted.

"You can go to sleep in the tree to be closer with the nature."

"You are mean."

"You are stubborn."

"You are more stubborn!"

"No, I'm not. I'm just hard to convince." Erestor shrugged.

"Are they the same?" Glorfindel raised his eyebrow. Arguing with Erestor was always enjoyable, even though he always lost this battle.

"Not really." Erestor smirked.

Glorfindel sighed.

"Do we have all ingredients Elrond wants?" The captain changed the subject.

"Nay. There are only a few things we need." Erestor replied. "I think we can get all tomorrow and can head back home."

Their conversation was interrupted by Saelbeth's shout.

"My lords!"

The soldiers ran to the lords with swords in their hands. Glorfindel and Erestor jumped to their feet upon the shouting.

"What happen?" Glorfindel asked.

"We saw orcs! They are coming this way! I think they saw the fire!" Cirith answered.

Glorfindel drew his sword and nodded to his soldiers.

"You stay here!" He ordered the counselor.

"No. I'll go with you." Erestor retrieved his bow and a pack of arrows from his pack, his double knifes on his belt.

"Alright." Glorfindel sighed. "Don't get into a close combat, alright? I don't want to worry about you. Stay in a distance. Use your bow."

Erestor nodded. He knew, in battle, Glorfindel would be the one who gave orders and everybody must obey him.

They creped behind bushed and saw a pack of orcs, around ten, gathering near a river bank.

"What are we going to do?" Saelbeth whispered.

"We are outnumbered." Glorfindel replied quietly. "We should wait until they leave. If they do not do something that would harm others, we will let them pass."

"I think we have no choice now." Erestor sighed.

The orcs were looking around in alarm.

"I smell elves!" One orc roared.

"Then we attacked." Glorfindel shrugged. Before the soldiers started the battle, double shots were released from Erestor's bow and hit an orc on its head and chest; dead.

"Nine to go." Erestor winked.

"It seems you are quite enjoying this." Glorfindel raised his eyebrow.

"More or less." Erestor smirked and started climbing the nearby tree to have a better vision of the battle. The captain and his soldiers roared the battle cry and attacked.

The elves were swift, but the orcs were stronger. Saelbeth and Cirith had less experience in fighting orcs. They could deal with one orc at a time. Glorfindel, on the other hand, could kill two orcs in a flash. Erestor, who was on the tree, kill another orc by shooting it through its neck, and shot some others to prevent them from attacking the young soldiers.

"Look out, Restor!" Glorfindel shouted when he saw an orc threw its club to Erestor. The counselor jumped from the tree to avoid the club and rolled over to the river bank. Glorfindel rushed to the counselor who now stood up and had his double knifes in his hands.

"I'm alright!" Erestor said calmly.

"Good! Cover my back!" Glorfindel nodded and stood back to back with Erestor. The captain glanced at his soldiers and found that Saelbeth and Cirith were gaining advantages over their opponents. Four orcs were surrounding the captain and the counselor.

"Can you take two of them?" Glorfindel asked his companion.

"I'm not sure." Erestor replied.

"Damn!"

"Yeah, damn." Erestor smirked. "But I'm sure you can take three, melon-nin."

"Melon-nin?" Glorfindel smiled. "Now I'm your friend. I'm glad. Duck!"

Erestor ducked and Glorfindel decapitated the orc that was attacking the counselor from his left.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome."

"Fin, I think the biggest one is aiming for you." Erestor jumped to the side to avoid direct attack with the orc fighting him. He knew he did not have strength to hold the impact. This made him went further away from the captain who now was worried about the orc in front of him.

Saelbeth and Cirith finished off his opponents and rushed to help their lords. Before they reached the captain, an orc sneaked behind Glorfindel and was about to swing its club. In that moment, Erestor threw his knife to the orc, and his knife was stuck to its back. The orc roared with pain.

The moment Erestor was distracted from his opponent to help Glorfindel; his hair was grabbed by an orc. The searing pain surged into his skull. His body was pull to the orc by his hair. Erestor did not pull back against the pull hence he would get more painful. He turned to glance at the orc, his knife in his hand aiming for its heart. The force that the orc pulled him made the impact more forceful. His knife planted into the orc's heart and killed it immediately, but the grip in his hair was still tightened. He felt the pain in his skull and heard Glorfindel screaming.

Glorfindel was terrified. It was like he was watching the replay of his last life all over again, but more terrifying because it was Erestor who was dragged by his hair and pulled to the steep riverbank. The battle in his past was flashed into his mind-eye. He was pulled to the abyss with the Balrog and was dead. It was not going to happen with Erestor! He did not allow it!

Glorfindel darted to Erestor like a lightning bolt. One hand reached to Erestor, the other hand swashed his sword at the orc's hand.

Erestor's pain was loosen. He felt light. He felt a strong arm holding him tight. The counselor looked up to meet Glorfindel's panic eyes.

"Did I just hear you scream?"

Erestor asked before he lost his consciousness in Glorfindel's arm.

.

.

.

"I'm sorry, Erestor!"

Glorfindel cried out. They were now back in Imladris. After Erestor was out, Glorfindel and his soldiers hurriedly brought him back to Imladris to see Elrond. Erestor was brought to the infirmary and examined by Elrond himself. They felt relieve when Elrond confirmed that Erestor was alright and would wake up within a day.

Glorfindel was in the infirmary by Erestor's bed since then.

"I'm really sorry!" The captain held the counselor's hand; begging for forgiveness. "I aimed for the orc's hand, but it fell too fast..."

"Glorfindel, could you just shut up?" Erestor sighed. "I already told you that it's alright. You don't need to apologize. I, on the other hand, have to thank you for saving my life."

"But.. I'd have had cut your head off!"

"Fortunately it's only my hair that you cut off." Erestor shrugged.

"No! It's your hair!" Glorfindel pouted. Why did Erestor act like he did not care about his hair!? Instead of cutting the orc's hand from Erestor's hair, the blade cut off a bunch of Erestor hair and let loose the orc's grip from pulling the counselor with it. Now Erestor's black hair was half waist length and half shoulder length, which was quite odd for a hair style.

"Hair can grow, Glorfindel." Erestor sighed again.

"I know, but.."

"Relax." Erestor smiled. "You should go get rest yourself. No buts. Go. Shoo." He waived for the dismissal and laid down to get rest himself. He'd have many things to worry about later.

.

.

.

"What are you doing?"

Glorfindel entered Erestor's chambers and found the counselor sitting in front of a mirror, Lindir standing behind him with a pair of scissor in his hand.

"Have my hair cut, of course." Erestor glanced at the captain uninterestedly.

"But your hair!"

"Why are you obsess with my hair so much, Glorfindel?"

"I'll have my hair cut too!" Glorfindel pouted.

"I don't think you should." Erestor said plainly.

"Why?"

"You'd look hideous; more than you already are."

"What?!"

"You heard me. I need my privacy, so.. shoo."

"You are mean." Glorfindel glared at the counselor and stormed out of the room.

"Why are you so harsh to him?" Lindir wondered.

"Glorfindel sometimes acts like an elfling. We need to have various methods to deal with him." Erestor sighed.

"Yeah, right." Lindir laughed. "You, of all people, knew him so well."

Yes, he knew Glorfindel more than anyone could imagine. Erestor thought.

.

.

.

Lindir left Erestor's chambers with a trash basket in his hands. He was not surprised to find the captain pacing in front of the chambers.

"Lindir!"

"Glorfindel." Lindir smiled to the golden lord.

"Is that.. Erestor's hair?" The captain pointed to the basket.

"Yes."

"Can I have it?"

"Why?"

"Look, Lindir." Glorfindel sighed. His face was blushing. "I'm the one who cut his hair in the first place. I feel guilty, alright? Even though he does not care, I have to do something."

"Alright." Lindir gave the basket to Glorfindel. "Don't forget to bring the basket back to Erestor's room."

"Thank you!"

Glorfindel's bright smile made Lindir's eyes blind for a few second. Lindir smiled back. These two lords cared for each other so much. He would love to know what'd happen with these two. Lindir thought.

.

.

.

The next day, Elrond found Glorfindel in his living room trying to sew something with Celebrian as his instructor.

"Ouch!" Glorfindel cried every time the needle pricked his finger. "Ouch!"

"What are you doing?" Elrond came to sit beside his wife and looked at what's in Glorfindel's hands.

"Glorfindel asked me to teach him how to make a pillow." Celebrian replied.

"Why?"

"Because I didn't know how to make one." Glorfindel replied annoyingly.

"I mean why do you want to make a pillow so suddenly and by yourself?" Elrond asked calmly.

"I want to keep something inside."

"What do you want to keep in the pillow?"

"Just some.. filler. Ouch!"

"Don't distract him, meleth." Celebrian smiled at her husband. "The 'filler' must be important to him. I know you can make it perfectly, Glorfindel."

"Thank you, Celebrian."

.

.

.

Many days later, if someone happened to visit Glorfindel's chambers, they would see an odd looking pillow on Glorfindel's bed. However, only few people knew how this pillow was important to the golden lord, and what was inside the pillow that Glorfindel was possessive so much.

.

.

.

~Fin~

A/N: In my country, it's not strange to put hair in a pillow; usually to make needle pillow though.

Review please :)


End file.
